


Secrets Cast Aside

by Maeve_of_Winter



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, High School, M/M, Misunderstandings, Secret Relationship, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 16:43:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13955751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maeve_of_Winter/pseuds/Maeve_of_Winter
Summary: Unbeknownst to their friends, Reggie and Kevin are dating. But after Reggie is mistaken for bullying Kevin, both of them are left facing serious questions about their relationship.





	Secrets Cast Aside

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone reading! If you ever want to chat, here's my [Tumblr](http://maeve-of-winter.tumblr.com/). I love discussion and hearing people's thoughts, so feel free to submit ideas or just talk Riverdale.

Kevin was just adding the hamburger patties onto the charcoal grill when Reggie ambled into Kellers’ backyard, carrying a bouquet of long-stemmed red-tipped yellow roses.

“Hey, hot stuff,” he called with a smirk, climbing from the patio onto the back deck and crossing over to Kevin. “Getting dinner ready for me?”

Even though he rolled his eyes, Kevin still tossed him a grin. “Not for you specifically. You can have some if you want, but I was doing this for Betty. She’ll be over in a little while to study, and I thought we could have a cookout together. Plus, I want to have something ready for my dad to eat when he comes home from work.”

“Still, I like the idea of you making dinner for me,” Reggie commented, tugging Kevin away from the grill and handed the flowers to him before pulling him into an embrace. “And then I come home, ready to shower you with love and attention, and you just know you’re the luckiest guy in the world to be with someone as bitchin’ as I am . . .”

“And so modest, too,” Kevin remarked dryly, even as he moved in to give Reggie a long kiss. “Thank you for the flowers.”

“You’re welcome,” Reggie murmured, before looping an arm tightly around Kevin’s back, pulling him flush against him so that he could kiss him within an inch of his life, running his fingers through his hair as he did.

This kiss lasted for almost two entire minutes; when they broke apart, Kevin was left panting for breath with his hair disheveled. Though he looked away shyly as his eyes met Reggie’s, all the same, he couldn’t keep back a deliriously happy grin.

Reggie smirked as he took in his handiwork and grabbed the bouquet. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to put these in some water.”

His cheeks flushed pink, Kevin could only manage a nod, rightening his shirt and moving back over to the grill to check the cooking burgers. He was just poking at them with a spatula when Reggie returned back to the deck.

“What would you think about it?” Reggie continued without preamble, sweeping over to wrap Kevin in his arms again

“Think of what?” Kevin asked, automatically snuggling back against Reggie.

“Getting married. To me,” Reggie told him. “Would you? I mean, let’s face it, I am a rising twenty out of ten, so you’d be doing pretty well for yourself. And with you being really decent yourself, especially when compared to me, I think it would be a good compromise.”

“How flattering,” Kevin returned, quirking an eyebrow, but he wasn’t offended. “But don’t you think it’s a little bit of a stretch to be talking about marriage when we’ve only been dating for a couple of months? And we’re still keeping it a secret right now?”

Some of Reggie’s typical bravado dropped as he let his arms fall and he spun Kevin around to look at him directly.

“So it really bothers you?” he asked, his voice usually serious. “That no one knows we’re dating?”

Kevin hesitated before giving an uncomfortable shrug, unsure of if he should be truthful or lie to spare Reggie’s feelings.

In all honesty, he really did wish they could be openly dating. It was always bittersweet to hear about his friends planning double dates or couples-only weekends and know he wasn’t able to participate in either. He would have given anything to go with Reggie out to dinner or to a movie without having to worry about Reggie’s wish to keep their dating a secret. But at the same time, he understood why Reggie wanted to protect himself.

“It’s just hard, that’s all,” he said at last, moving to the patio table to fiddle with some of the condiment bottles. “To be so happy about dating you but not being able to tell anyone. But I get why you want to keep it a secret, so I will.”

Pulling off his snapback, Reggie ran a hand through his hair. “Hey. Thanks. I really mean it—”

But whatever he’d been about to say was abruptly cut off by a familiar voice giving a cheerful shout. It was Betty, coming closer to the backyard

“Hey, Kevin! That barbeque smells great!” Betty called.

Kevin saw Reggie’s eyes widen, and just as he turned toward the source of the voice to see Betty round the corner around the house and giving a wave as she did, Reggie suddenly charged toward him and hit him with a hard shove.

“Don’t you dare even come near me, you fucking whackjob!” he shouted.

Stumbling back, Kevin almost fell but regained his balance at the last minute. Anger and betrayal surged through him as he caught himself, and he turned to fix Reggie with a furious glare, but he had nothing on Betty’s wrath.

“Hey!” she barked, virtually launching herself onto the deck to come to stand toe to toe with Reggie and grabbing him by the wrist. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Hmph.” Reggie wrenched his wrist free and brushed past her, tucking his snapback back on as he stalked off in the direction of the driveway. “Getting away from you two losers, that’s for sure.”

Fists clenched at her sides and fire burning in her eyes, Betty was about to go after him, but Kevin put a hand on her shoulder to halt her. “Betty, don’t.”

“But he was harassing you!” she protested, glancing at him in worry and then looking back at Reggie’s retreating figure with a ferocious scowl. “He deserves anything he gets!”

Privately, Kevin was almost tempted to agree, filled with hurt and frustration that Reggie would rather literally push him aside than have anyone know they were in a relationship. But he forced down the swell of pain and anger, resolving to be calm and come up with an explanation. He would never out anyone to someone else—that just wasn’t done. He wanted to be above that type of petty and self-serving revenge, no matter how tempting it was to lash back at Reggie for what he’d just done to him.

Besides, if he wanted to salvage their relationship—even if he wasn’t actually sure at the moment that he actually wanted that particular relationship—burning any bridges wouldn’t help.

“Reggie just stopped by for some homework tips, that’s all,” he told Betty, weariness overwhelming him at the lie. He really did hate keeping Reggie’s secret, even though he knew it was necessary. “We got into an argument. It’s no big deal.”

Betty’s eyes were wide and distressed, but her jaw was firmly set. “Kev, if he’s getting violent with you, you have to tell someone. I mean, coming to your house and getting into a fight with you? Nothing good can come from that. It’s only going to get worse, and if Reggie Mantle thinks he can get away with treating you badly—”

“It’s no big deal,” Kevin repeated, stifling a long sigh. “Listen, Betty, I appreciate your worry, but let’s not talk about it right now. Come on, the burgers are almost done.” With that, he led her to the table.

As he did, his phone pinged with a text, and he briefly checked to see what it was.

 **_Reggie:_ ** _sorry x 100 for what i did. it was b/c i panicked, but it was stupid._

Ignoring the message for the moment, Kevin tucked his phone in his pocket to give his full attention to Betty.

* * *

Betty was not one easily dissuaded, and no matter how Kevin tried to placate her, she insisted on discussing Reggie at length, refusing to let the subject drop.

“You have to tell someone if he’s hurting you,” she told him before she left for the night. “He can’t get away with being a douchebag to people. It’s not right that he gets to hurt you without consequences.”

“It’s fine, Betty, really,” Kevin told her for the umpteenth time. “I can manage on my own. I’ll be fine.” While Kevin appreciated her concern for him, he was also steadily growing tired of this topic, especially with his hurt at Reggie being as fresh as it was. He’d been thinking about it nonstop since the incident since it happened, as well as getting multiple texts from Reggie containing more apologies, and he hated now having to talk about it, too.

But Betty seemed unconvinced when she left for the night, and the next morning at school, Kevin found out that evidently, she’d brought in Jughead on the conversation as well.

It was before classes began, sne Kevin was just finishing his morning tutoring sessions, helping some of his fellow members of the cross country team with their math homework. Just as he had concluded his explanations of the equations and was having them problem some problems on their own, Jughead and a few of the other Serpents entered the classroom.

“Something me that you’re not here for academic reasons,” Kevin commented as Jughead strode up to him, flanked by Toni, Fangs, and Sweet Pea. All of them were in their Serpent jackets, even in spite of Weatherbee’s ban on them, and their expressions were tough and challenging.

Sweet Pea scoffed. “No, but you’re not all that far off. We’re here because we heard that Mantle needs to be taught a lesson.”

With a deep exhale, Kevin turned to Jughead. “Did Betty send you?” he asked, trying not to let his rising impatience show. Reggie’s rejection still hurt, and even despite his apology texts, Kevin was still wounded from the incident and had yet to respond. It definitely wasn’t something he wanted to talk about.

“She said he came to your house and was giving you trouble.” Jughead leaned forward conspiratorially. “Listen, I know Reggie can be a dickhead. We don’t have to pretend he isn’t. I’ve had to put up with his BS for years, so if he’s causing you problems—”

“It’s nothing,” Kevin found himself insisting once more. His stomach twisted with anxiety as he lied—he wished he could tell the truth about himself and Reggie to Betty, to Jughead, to his Serpent friends, hell, to _anyone_. Right now, facing as many question from as many people as he was, the weight of their secret seemed like a impossible to continue to carry.

“I appreciate you offering to help me, but like I told Betty, it’s nothing I can’t handle,” he continued. “Besides,” he sent a meaningful look at all of them, “I don’t want any of you getting into any more trouble. Especially not for me.”

“Yeah, Mantle has seen that we got into plenty of trouble already,” Fangs grumbled. “Wouldn’t mind another reason to whale on him.”

“He has,” Kevin agreed wearily. “But I’m asking you—all of you,” he added firmly, looking directly as each one of them, “to keep out of this.”

The Serpents exchanged glances, but ultimately gave noticeably reluctant mutters of agreement.

“All right,” Jughead said reluctantly. “We’ll cease and desist our forces for now, but we’ll go after Reggie if you ever need us to.”

“I right my own battles, both literally and figuratively,” Kevin replied, a slight edge entering his voice as the stress and frustration started to creep in. Realizing he seemed ungrateful, he quickly tacked on, “But thanks for the help, anyway.”

“No problem,” Sweet Pea replied with a shrug. “Not like I need much of a reason to fight Mantle, after all.”

The morning bell rang then, and then most of them said their goodbyes and split off to make it to their homerooms. Toni, however, remained with Kevin, walking alongside him to his locker.

“You know, maybe you’re right that fighting isn’t the answer here,” she suggested. “Maybe it would be better to talk.”

Kevin’s mind instantly leapt to the multiple conversations he’d already had to Betty where he’d had no choice but to remain evasive about what was actually taking place with Reggie. Frustration surged through him, and he yanked open his locker with more force than was strictly necessary. “Like I was telling Betty, I don’t need help here.”

Toni shrugged. “Maybe not from Betty. But sometimes, it can be easier to talk to someone you haven’t known quite as long.” She cast Kevin a sidelong glance. “They don’t make as many assumptions, you know? And might not rush to judgement as quickly.”

Pausing in rummaging through his locker, Kevin turned to look at her directly. “Are you . . . talking about something in particular?” he asked cautiously, his heart pounding as he realized someone else might have found out about him and Reggie. He felt simultaneously relieved and anxious at the notion.

Toni met his gaze steadily. “You tell me. If you want to, I mean.”

Kevin let out a tired sigh, feeling tension coiling again in his muscles. “It’s complicated. I know that sounds like a cop out, but it really is.”

Toni opened her mouth to reply, but then her eyes slid past Kevin to focus on something behind him. Following her eyes, Kevin twisted around to find Reggie coming to a halt beside him, leaning against the other lockers.

“Hey,” Reggie said lowly, his voice and face unusually serious. “Can we talk?”

His eyes darted to Toni when he spoke; clearly, he wanted to have a moment alone with Kevin.

Though Kevin hesitated, he eventually decided to allow it. This conversation needed to happen, he reasoned, even if he was dreading it.

“Sure,” Kevin said, doing his best to keep his tone level and not give a hint of his inner turmoil. He turned to Toni. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but—”

“It’s all right,” Toni reassured him. She did a good job keeping her expression neutral even as she glanced in Reggie’s direction. “Text me if you need me. But remember what I said.”

With that she strolled off, and Kevin turned to Reggie, his stomach twisting in nervousness.

“Well?” he asked, his throat suddenly going too dry to manage much more than that. “What did you want to say?”

“I wanted to apologize,” Reggie said earnestly. “Listen, I was a dick. But I wasn’t trying to be a dick. But I’m still sorry.” He shrugged uncomfortably. “You didn’t answer my texts about it, so I thought I should tell you again.”

Kevin nodded, letting the silence persist for a few seconds while he gathered his thoughts. “I do appreciate you apologizing,” he said slowly, his heart hammering as he selected his next words with care. “But honestly, Reggie, after what happened, I’m not so sure we should be together anymore.”

Reggie’s jaw dropped. “You’re breaking up with me?” he asked in a normal tone. When he realized his mistake, he glanced around to check no one had noticed, and then lowered his voice, leaning closer to try to ascertain they wouldn’t be overheard. “It doesn’t gotta be this way. I can make up for what I did. And I will. Just tell me what I have to do.”

Heaving an inward sigh, Kevin steeled himself and looked at Reggie directly. “I think we should take a break for a little while to maybe reevaluate. Figure out what we both want.”

“I know what I want,” Reggie protested. “I want _you_ , Kev.”

“You sure about that?” Kevin retorted before he could stop himself, his anger from the past evening flaring up.

Reggie set his jaw. “When we started dating, you said you didn’t mind keeping it a secret. That I didn’t have to be out.”

“I did,” Kevin admitted. “And I don’t mean to be a fair-weather boyfriend here, but I didn’t realize that it was going to be like that forever. I didn’t think we’d be stuck in the same place for months without any hope of moving forward or going public.”

“So, you were only dating me because you’d thought I would change?” Reggie challenged, his dark eyes sparking with frustration.

Kevin took a deep breath. “I was dating with you because I wanted to be with you. But now that I know you’d rather be mistaking for hitting me than dating me? I’m really not convinced I want to be with you anymore. Reggie, I’m sorry, but I’m tired of keeping quiet about us. I’m tired of not being able to go out to Pop’s with any of our friends, of only being able to have dates at each other’s houses when no one else is around.” He locked gazes with Reggie. “So, if dating me is proving to be so much of a burden for you, I’ll go ahead and lift it right off your shoulders. You don’t have to worry about it now.”

“Wait, Kevin, no.” Reggie looked at him desperately. “I don’t want this. I want to keep both of us together. I can’t apologize enough for what I did. I’m so sorry.”

“So am I,” Kevin replied softly. “But I’m done with sneaking around or acting like what we’re doing is something to be ashamed of. I’ll keep your secret, but I won’t stand to be a part of it anymore.”

“Kevin—” Reggie snaked out a hand to grasp his arm, but Kevin slammed his locker shut and dodged him.

“I’ll see you around, Reg,” he said, struggling to keep his voice even as a lump rose in his throat.

He turned his back to Reggie and walked away, brushing past the other students in the hall, all the while trying to force down the sadness and disappointment that threatened to overwhelm him. While he did truly care for Reggie and didn’t want to have to break up with him, he was absolutely done with being anyone’s source of shame.

* * *

As it happened, there was a football team awards ceremony later that day that the entire school was expected to attend. Reggie, being team captain, would be at the center of it all.

Not in the mood to celebrate and unwilling to face the fresh pain of seeing Reggie for an extended time, even at a distance, Kevin quickly made plans to skip it. Reasoning he could slip into one of the unused classrooms by the auditorium, he planned to simply hang out there until classes resumed. But his tactic was thwarted when Josie joined him just as he was about to make his getaway.

“Hey, Kev,” she said, approaching him from the left just as he planned to dart off in the direction of the doors to right. “Ready for some boring speeches? Betty and Jughead are saving us seats.”

“Er, yes,” Kevin replied, trying to keep his guilt from showing. “Actually, I was just about to go and find them,” he lied.

Realizing he couldn’t cut the ceremony without appearing to ditch his friends, he fell into step beside Josie, and they entered the auditorium together. Though the area was crowded, they were able to spot their friends fairly quickly, and they took seats beside Betty and Jughead, who sat just above the row that held Sweet Pea, Fangs, Veronica, and Sweet Pea.

“You know, I’m surprised Cheryl doesn’t have you River Vixens up there on the stage,” Jughead was remarking as they settled into their seats.

“We were actually supposed to, but then Weatherbee rejected the planned routine because he said the choreography was ‘inappropriate,’ ” Veronica explained. “Cheryl vowed revenge, and as we speak, is probably rigging up his office doorway with a bucket of pig’s blood so it falls on him the next time he walks through.”

Sweet Pea snorted. “Serves him right for making us wear those uniforms. Douchebag.”

Their conversation ended when Principal Weatherbee himself walked across the stage and tapped on the microphone, the lights dimming to draw the audience’s focus toward his lit figure at the podium.

“Good afternoon, students,” he began. “Today we’re celebrating the state football champions, our very own Riverdale High Bulldogs. I trust you’ll join me in welcoming your classmates and their coaches here to the stage to honor their vigor, hard work, and dedication . . .”

Not even a sixth of the way into Principal Weatherbee’s speech, Kevin found himself zoning out, too frayed from his stress about Reggie to particularly pay attention. He couldn’t help but notice, though, when Jughead lifted his arm to wrap it around Betty’s shoulders, leading her to snuggle closer to him in turn. A sharp stab of envy, pain, and loss pierced through Kevin at the sight; he’d wanted that open intimacy so badly with Reggie, and now that their relationship was over, he didn’t stand a chance of ever getting it.

But it was what he’d wanted, Kevin reminded himself as Principal Weatherbee finished and then Coach Clayton took over the mic. And he truly did think it was what was best for himself, even if it hurt. It hurt worse for Reggie to refuse to admit they were dating to the point he’d rather have people think he was violent toward Kevin rather than affectionate.

That’s what Kevin kept repeating to himself even as Coach Clayton concluded his speech and introduced the next speaker. “Now, I give you our football captain, Reggie Mantle. Let’s see what he has in store for us—I’m sure whatever it is, it will contain invaluable wisdom,” he added dryly, generating a wave of laughter from those in the audience familiar with Reggie.

Applause followed as Reggie ascended the stage and took the podium; he had to wait several minutes for it to die down, but he was grinning proudly all the while, turning back to preen to the rest of his teammates waiting onstage. He adored the attention, Kevin knew—it had been one of the things he’d loved about Reggie, that he could find such fulfillment in something as simple as someone focusing on him. As flippant as Reggie seemed, he truly did value people and was grateful for the time they spent with him. It was his aim to be admired, his goal to be liked by his peers. This moment, basking in his victory, cheered on by the entire student body—well, maybe not everyone, Kevin amended, noting the Serpents’ stony silence and justified refusal to applaud—was a probably a dream come true for him. And Kevin found himself smiling at that, happy for Reggie even in spite of his own melancholy. Despite their failed relationship, he truly did wish Reggie the best.

Finally, when the clapping halted, Reggie began to speak. “Thank you, everybody,” he drawled. “I really appreciate you appreciating me. It’s nice to be appreciated.”

Titters ran through the crowd; Kevin would have bet money on Jughead and Toni rolling their eyes at each other in that very moment.

“So, I want to thank a whole bunch of people for helping us get where we are today,” Reggie went on. “First: my team. Y’all are bitchin’!” He angled himself backwards to point to the other football players with an extended arm. “We’re a bitchin’ bunch, you hear?”

His comment got a chorus of whoops and shouts of agreement from his fellow athletes, and he turned back to the audience, still grinning.

“Of course, our coach, Coach Clayton, he’s pretty bitchin’, too—” more cheers, “—and then there’s all of our fans. With a doubt, you're the absolute bitchin’-est!”

The second part of the statement earned the loudest cheers yet from the students, a “Christ, way to murder the English language,” from Jughead, and a “Right?” from Toni.

“But there’s one person I have yet to thank, and he’s someone who’s supported me throughout the whole season, and I think that’s the most bitchin’,” Reggie continued. “Maybe you know him—he’s Kevin Keller, student council president, archery expert, and record-breaking wrestler. Kevin? Why don’t you come up here?”

As if controlled by one hive mind, all of Kevin’s friends swiveled their heads in unison to stare at him, but Kevin could only sit frozen, unable to believe what was happening. Had Reggie really just asked him to join him on stage, or was his mind just playing tricks on him after an especially day?

He glanced from face to face, from Toni’s skepticism to Betty’s uncertainty to Josie’s excitement. Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs all seemed suspicious, glaring over at Reggie, no doubt dubious of his motives, while Veronica wore a quizzical frown.

“Kevin?” Reggie said again, a hint of nervousness entering his voice. “We’re waiting on you.”

Josie gave Kevin a gentle but firm nudge. “Go on, walk up there!”

“Kev . . “ Betty said warily, no doubt recalling the dispute she’d witnessed between Kevin and Reggie the previous night.

Toni let out a long breath but then encouraged him. “Give him half a chance, but if you find out he doesn’t deserve that, then just give him a swift punch in the nose.”

Operating on autopilot, still not entirely certain that Reggie’s request was real, Kevin stood up on stiff legs and began the brief walk down the aisle to the steps of the stage, feeling as if he were in some kind of fever dream. When he mounted the steps and walked past Coach Clayton and Principal Weatherbee, he could hear the latter blustering.

“This is highly unorthodox,” Weatherbee was muttering disapprovingly to Coach Clayton, but the coach just shrugged.

“He’s the captain, and after the work he put in, he should have the right to speak about his own victory,” Coach Clayton responded, even though doubt was apparent in his own voice. “Let’s just wait and see.”

With footsteps that seem to fall abnormally loudly across the wooden floor of the stage, Kevin walked toward the podium, trying to only focus on Reggie and ignore how his heart was pounding a million miles per minute or how his stomach was doing somersaults. Part of him was frantically questioning what was about to happen next, but another part of him didn’t dare wonder.

As Kevin approached, Reggie wrenched the podium microphone out of its mount, stepping down from the stand and returning to the regular stage. The grin returned to his face when Kevin came to a halt beside him, and suddenly, even in spite of his trepidation, Kevin felt a strong surge of hope.

Turning to face the audience once more, Reggie addressed the assembled students and teachers. “So, I know that everyone here already knows this, but I’ll say it again: I love women. I love a lot of women _lots_.”

The statement earned another round of cheers and bellows from the football players and the general audience. There was one distinctive shout of, “Hell, yeah, you do!”

Eyeing Reggie with some reservation, Kevin momentarily wondered if his hope had been misplaced.

“But what you might not know is that besides going for women, every once in a while I’ll go for a dude,” Reggie added without preamble, his words bringing a sudden hush to the audience. “And right now, I’m dating Kevin Keller, and I’m really fucking happy about it. He was there for me during football season, helped me out, and gave me what I need, and then me and my team went ahead and won the goddamn state championship. So, Kev, thanks for that.” Reggie flashed him an even bigger grin, before speaking to the audience one last time. “And if any of you have any problem with us dating, you can just go ahead and shut the fuck up about it.”

With that, he let the microphone clunk to the floor, grabbed Kevin, and pulled him into a fierce kiss.

The audience exploded into a variety of hoots and hollers and catcalls, but Kevin didn’t care about any of them. At first, he was too shocked to react, but then he was flooded by happiness and eagerly kissed back, concentrating only on matching Reggie’s passion and embracing him as tightly as he could. He could feel the smile on Reggie’s lips as he pressed against him, and for the the time, that, as well as the knowledge that Reggie had chosen to tell the whole world that they were boyfriends, seemed to be the only things that mattered.

The microphone was retrieved from the floor, and the next speaker cleared their throat before beginning.

“Hi, um, this is Archie Andrews, vice captain of the football team. I just wanted to say I’m really proud of my team and proud of my captain. And I’m happy that he’s happy, I guess?” Archie sounded slightly uncertain, but the earnestness in his voice was clear. “This is, er, really surprising and unexpected, but congrats. Both of you are my friends, and I hope you’re happy together.”

Though Kevin didn’t separate from Reggie right then to thank Archie (they didn’t separate until Coach Clayton begged them to, citing concerns about school-appropriate PDA), he was grateful for his friend’s support. High off of victory and the elation of Reggie going public with their relationship, finally letting them be openly together, in that moment, Kevin couldn’t help but feel as though they’d conquered the world.

* * *

The next day at lunch, Kevin was chatting with his friends at their usual outdoor table when Reggie plunked his tray down beside his.

“Hey,” Reggie said, smiling at Kevin and giving a nod to the rest of the table’s occupants: Betty, Jughead, Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Archie, Veronica, and Josie. “Mind if I sit here?”

Jughead tossed a glance at his fellow Serpents, but then gave a tense nod. “I suppose,” he said, though his misgivings were apparent in his voice.

Reggie shrugged as he sat down next to Kevin. “Yeah, I suppose I deserve that.” He extended a hand to Jughead. “Listen, I’m sorry about everything I did to make life hell for you Southsiders. And for everything I did to make your life hell before that.”

Jughead studied him warily, but then accepted his hand. “Thanks for apologizing. Not that it solves anything, but it’s a start.”

“On a real long road,” Sweet Pea interjected, scowling at Reggie.

“But the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Toni said, patting Sweet Pea on the shoulder even as she lifted her chin as she looked at Reggie. “We’re currently eagerly awaiting the journey’s completion.”

“And,” Jughead added begrudgingly, “I’m happy you make one of my friends happy.”

“Thank you, guys. It really means a lot,” Kevin told them sincerely. He knew of the bad blood between the Serpents and Reggie, but he was hopeful that if Reggie genuinely worked to make past wrongs right, there could at least be a truce between them, even if not actual friendship.

Taking one of Reggie’s hands in his and lacing their fingers together, Kevin gave them a tight squeeze. He was gratified when Reggie put a strong arm around his shoulders, drawing him close, and Kevin eagerly burrowed in against him.

There he was, happy with Reggie, the two of them out in the open, and surrounded by his friends. It was everything Kevin had ever wanted, and contented as he was in that moment, he didn’t think it possible to ever want anything more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone reading! If you ever want to chat, here's my [Tumblr](http://maeve-of-winter.tumblr.com/). I love discussion and hearing people's thoughts, so feel free to submit ideas or just talk Riverdale.


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